The Sidwell Friends School is the first LEED Platinum-rated K-12 school in the world, but what’s incredible is the story behind it. First, it’s a renovation of a fifty year old facility. Second, the renovation involved the students, so everyone was able to participate and learn about the benefits of a green building. Matter of fact, about sixteen 5th – 8th graders studied the building, wrote about its benefits, and recorded an audio feature explaining each green feature. Feel free to take the green building tour to learn about low-VOC materials, CO2 monitoring, natural light, native plants, the green roof and biology pond, photovoltaic panels, a heat recovery wheel, vertical solar fins, and the settling tank, etc. This is quite the impressive interactive visual/audio tour. Seriously, great work.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a friend on the scene in Washington D.C., providing us these exclusive shots from the Solar Decathlon. The Solar Decathlon joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. And, as you can see from these images, this place is flooded with visitors. I bet many of them are asking themselves, “what would it take to live in a home like that?” “Why can’t I get a home like that?” We’re seeing the essence of Jetson Green on display — this is the ultimate confluence of modern + green.

Over the weekend, REI opened the doors on a brand-spanking new, LEED-CI Silver certified, green retail store in Boulder, Colorado. Designed by Gensler, this store is an extension of REI’s commitment to green building. REI’s director of store development, Dean Iwata, said, "REI’s Boulder store builds on our more than 10 years of green building experience, and helps us test concepts that will pave the way for how our stores are built in the future, including design, material selections and use of technology." I couldn’t be happier for the company — I think I’ve found a justification to splurge $165 on a new North Face Denali jacket. Vote with your money, right?!

The store has tons of green technology, such as specially-designed Solatubes (which save major deniro and energy). Also, using efficient, low-flow fixtures, the store uses 30% less water than federal code mandates. 70 percent of the store’s hot water is heated through solar energy. REI Boulder is the first retail integration of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and uses recycled, renewable, and low-VOC materials throughout. Plus, as many responsible builders do, REI diverted 75% of construction waste from the local landfills by using it in other areas of the store or recycling it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s that time again: October 6, 2007 – The National Solar Tour. The ASES National Solar Tour is the largest tour of sustainable energy technology for buildings in the U.S. Now in its 12th year, some 100,000 people across the nation will see how neighbors are using clean sources of energy to save on energy bills and protect the environment. Through a series of open-houses and informative tours, participants learn about renewable energy options, energy efficient design, real-world costs, current rebates available, and other valuable insights.

Tours are being organized in dang near every state, so if you have the interest, there’s probably a place you can go. Here’s the main page to find a tour near you. Image Credit: Sunpower.

There's a lot to mention with REthink Development's project called Cherokee Lofts: history, sustainability, modern design, materials innovation, etc. This Pugh + Scarpa-designed development is on track to be named the first, privately developed, LEED Gold Certified, mixed-use project in Southern California. The project will have 12 loft units, all ranging in size from 1,000 – 2,000 sf, and 2,800 sf of commercial space.

This home isn’t necessarily modern, but it has all the modern conveniences one could ask for: solar panels, small wind, radiant floor heating, air filtration system, and a trombe wall, etc. Kent and Kathy Lawrence’s custom country home, which was completed in 2005, ended up costing roughly $300 psf. The wind turbine alone came in at a cool $37,100 (producing 13,000 kwh/year), and that’s without tax subsidies. And unlike many custom homes that tend to explore new boundaries of profusion, this home is only 2,200 sf. Not bad. But the Lawrence’s weren’t just concerned with smart design and energy efficiency. Currently, they’re removing invasive plant species and planting native flowers, just trying to be gentle stewards of the land they inhabit. I think this is a rather picturesque setting for a home … much the American Dream.